No bus shelter, long after traffic diversion

No bus shelter, long after traffic diversion

A colourful flex board with the legend, ‘Bus Stop,’ sponsored by an electronics showroom is all the infrastructure provided for a bus stop on West Marret Street.

All the bus passengers from north of Vaigai river and those coming from Simmakkal proceeding to Madurai railway junction need to get down here. The bus stop has neither a shelter nor any information board on bus routes. “A waiting passenger need to wait in the open under a scorching sun in this bus stop,” said a city resident.

It is more than six months since Madurai City Traffic Police effected traffic diversion on West Veli Street making all vehicles coming from Simmakkal to go through West Marret Street.

People did complain about hardship faced by rail passengers getting down here in lugging their luggage besides taking care of elders and children while weaving through the chaotic traffic to reach the railway station.

But the authorities concerned justified the traffic diversion in the name of decongesting vehicular traffic on West Veli Street opposite the railway station. However, no infrastructural development has taken place on this stretch all these months.

The poor condition of West Marret Street, with potholes, remains the same. And the promise of shifting bus shelter to a new spot has not been carried out.